I've had a wand for about a year now, and I took it about a few days ago. I decided to place it near my face and felt as though energy was radiating from the wand. I closed my eyes and focused on it and it felt as though the energy flowed into my body and it seemed to course through me. I recieved the wand from a carpenter at a pioneer day in a neighboring town. I feel a slight connection to it and as though it should always be in my hands. What was the energy I was feeling?

Probably what you're feeling is the energy of the wood itself connecting to you. Each and every type of wood has a specific energy feel to it. Like my wand is birch, but it was driftwood, so it has both the energy of wood and water. When I picked it up I felt a surge through my whole body, because our energies were connecting. So your wand is probably just connecting to you.

I believe it is always best to make your own tools for magic as that infuses the energy while making them. What they are made of is not that important, although having a crystal as part(embedded in the handle end) does seem to increase the power. Crystals store power.
But having one given to you, may have power that is meant for you alone, same with "finding" the wood.